Fools on Parade

Echoes of a Fairy Tale

Matt's POV of Previous events:

While making his way back home with his motorcycle, it was hard for Matt to wrap his head around the events of the night. Everything just seemed so unreal, as if he was caught up in a dream of his deepest longings. Alex looked so different, his hair, his clothes... If it wasn't for his smell, warmth and voice, Matt would have been sure it was some other person. Even when he arrived at the scrapyard he swore he still felt the pleasant weight of the other on his thighs.

For once it wasn't the loud music still ringing in his ears, but the moans of the man he loved; bittersweet echoes of a fairy tale he never thought would come true. What were the odds of this night to be the one to bring his heart back to a heated beat?

His mind was still busy losing itself in the recent memories when insomnia got the best of him, robbing Matt of his much-needed sleep. He stayed like this for hours, until his body was too exhausted and finally gave in to his fatigue.

It was only when he heard a loud knock on the door, followed by his boss' voice that he got to wake up in the morning.

"You up, Helders? Got a special one for you." the tall American called from the other side of the door before audible trudging away.

Matt slowly raised up from the bed and took in a deep breath, mentally preparing for the day ahead of him after such dreamy, but restless, night. Hoping to get his energy back, Matt took a brisk shower and made himself some coffee, soon he was ready to head out to work. It turned out that the 'special one' mentioned earlier was an urgent repair his boss set him up for.

It proved itself to be a hard one - a crashed motorcycle with a few pieces missing - and took the mechanic the whole day to complete its repairs. The indicators on the clock notified him that it was well past midnight when he wiped off the dark gooey motor-oil from his hands, forearms and cheeks.

He almost felt like a teenager all over again, as he couldn't take his mind off of Alex. Throughout the day his mind circled around the thought on how to contact Alex. What he should tell him, what he would think of him afterwards. He worried to make a fool out of himself, so he tried to calm down, thinking that a shower might help him think a bit clearer. Better a little delayed than coming across as a nitwit.

It felt good when he was finally able to strip out of his sweaty overall. It was a hard day; the hot water brushing over his shoulders felt like heaven, although instead of helping him think it only made him more aware of how exhausted he was. Afterwards, he still had no clue what to write, his phone in hand and the small note Alex gave him two nights before lazing on his bare chest he stared holes in the air bringing Alex's image before his mental eyes, seeking inspiration on how to approach him. He tried many times to coax himself, that it was still the same Alex, his best friend from one year back, he didn't believe himself though. It wasn't the same person, besides his visual changes, Matt now knew that he actually had a romantic chance with him. Automatically his mind went back to the past night, reviewing what happened, ending up making him even more nervous as his heart beats sped up. With all his willpower he dragged himself out of it, focusing on the message, he wanted to send it before sleeping, so he shouldn't waste any time.

Despite the simplicity of it, it took him a while to actually compose the invitation. He erased and rephrased the sentences over and over again until he was at least partially satisfied with it:

<Hey Alex, sorry for the late message, I was stuck at work. Coffee tomorrow? M<

He kept staring at the message for a few moments, meaning to send it, but still unsure of its content. He didn't realize how his eyes slowly lost focus, his exhaustion of the sleepless night triumphing over him and dragging him into a deep sleep.